Do you “worship” your parents?
After I came to China, I started hearing the word “xiaoshun” a lot. It is often translated into English as “filial piety”. However, I think the translation “parent worship” is easier to understand. The basic idea behind “parent worship” is that children should always listen to their parents and do everything they can to make their parents happy.
I think many Chinese people I know would agree with the idea. I guess it is a nice idea, in theory（理论上）. But I also have some Chinese friends who would disagree.This is because they have had to do things they didn’t want to, just because their parents told them to_______For example, one of my good friends had to break up with her boyfriend because her parents thought he didn’t make enough money. “孝顺”似乎有时候也是不公平的。
Most kids in the US, especially teenagers, would probably disagree with “parent worship”, too. In fact, arguing with one’s parents and being rebellious (叛逆的) is common for US teens. 我经常与我的父母就家规进行争论，而且我也不总是遵守那些规矩。
I think the best way is somewhere in the middle. Most, if not all of us, love our parents and try our best to respect（尊重） them. So of course we should follow their rules and try not to stress them out (使紧张). On the other hand, parents should respect their kids as well and give them some reasonable freedom and independence.
1.The basic idea behind “parent worship” is that children should always listen to their parents and do everything they can to make their parents happy.
2.This is because they have had to do things they didn’t want to, just because their parents told them to.
3.“孝顺”似乎有时候也是不公平的
4. 我经常与我的父母就家规进行争论，而且我也不总是遵守那些规矩
5. On the other hand, parents should respect their kids as well and give them some reasonable freedom and independence.
Boxing is a quite popular sport in many countries. Two fighters wear boxing gloves on their hands. The boxers hit each other until one is knocked out or until the final bell rings. Each part of the fight is three minutes long. It is called a round.
However, Thai boxing is different.
The boxing match begins with music. Then the two fighters kneel and pray（跪地祈祷）to God. Next, they do a slow dance that copies the movements of Thai boxing. During this dance, each fighter tries to show the other that he is the best.
The fight begins. In Thai boxing, the fighters can kick with their feet and hit each other with their elbows（手肘）and knees. Of course, they hit with their hands, too. Each round is also three minutes long. Then the boxers have a two-minute rest. Most boxers can have only five rounds because this kind of fighting is very difficult. But the audience（观众）usually feel very excited while watching the matches, shouting and cheering.
Thai boxing began 500 years ago. If a soldier（士兵）lost his weapons（武器） in a war, he needed to fight with just his body. The soldiers learned how to use all the parts of their bodies. In 1560, the Burmese army caught Naresuen, the King of Thailand, in a war. King Naresuen was a very good boxer. He won his freedom from Burma by beating all the best Burmese fighters. When he returned to Thailand, his people were very proud of him. Thai boxing became a popular sports in this country and later all over the world.
1.What is a round in a boxing match?
2.Does Thai boxing start with praying to God?
3.How long can Thai boxing fighters rest during two rounds?
4.Why were the Thai people proud of King Naresuen?
5.According to the passage, what does the writer think of Thai boxing?
Why can’t some hard-working students learn well? The reason is that they don’t have a good way to learn. If you have a good way to learn, you would learn better. Here are some tips for you.
First, you should preview（预习）before class and you will find some difficult points you can’t understand. 1. If you still can’t understand, you could discuss them with your classmates or ask your teacher for help until you understand them very well.
After you finish your homework at night, you should do an important thing—revision（复习）. Revision is very important. 2. If you don’t review at all, as time goes by and you will forget what you have ever learned.
3. Travelling is a good way. You can read some classics to improve your language skills and you can also read some books on science to enrich your knowledge of science.
4. Why not share them with your friends and learn from each other? Then you can make rapid progress!
A.Of course, there are some other good learning ways.
B.Reading can also help you learn better in some ways.
C.Then, you could pay more attention to the teacher’s explanations of them.
D.Another thing is to open your eyes and mind.
E.It can help you memorize what you have learned longer and better.
Have you ever wondered why everyone's nose is a different shape? Researchers have come up with a possible explanation for this. A study from Pennsylvania State University in the USA says the Earth’s climate (the typical weather conditions in an area) could have something to do with the shape of our nose.
The study found that basically（基本上，主要地）people who have wider noses usually live in warmer, wetter areas. Instead, people with narrower noses are more commonly found in colder and drier climates. The nose plays an important part in making sure the air we breathe reaches our lungs（肺）in a warm and wet condition. The width of the nostrils（鼻孔）and length of the nose help to make sure this happens. Researchers said the nose is like a little temperature controller.
The researchers used 3D images to measure（测量）the noses of more than 2,600 people from Africa, Asia and Europe. They measured the width of the nostrils, the distance between nostrils and nose height. The researchers said their findings could help people who move to different climates to get used to the heat or cold, and the wet. Dr Arslan Zaidi said increased travel and climate change make it difficult to predict if our nose will change shape in the future. He said, “Our lifestyles aren’t what they used to be. We move around the world way too much. That makes it very hard to predict the future evolution（演变）of the nose with the changing climate.”
1.According to the passage, what may change the shape of our noses?
A.The location. B.The environment. C.The climate.
2.Why is the nose a little like a temperature controller?
A.Because the width of the nostrils and length of the nose make us look good.
B.Because it can make the air we breathe warm and wet when it reaches lungs.
C.Because it helps to make sure human can get used to the worse environment.
3.The underlined word “narrower” means _________ in Chinese?
A.更宽的 B.更强的 C.更窄的
4.The purpose（目的）of the research is to _____.
A.help people to get used to different climate
B.predict how the shape of the nose will change
C.find out the differences among people from different places
5.What is the best title of the passage?
A.The Future Evolution of Our Noses.
B.How to Change the Shape of Our Noses
C.Climate Can Change the Shape of Our Noses
“One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.” Della counted the money sadly. How could she buy her husband a Christmas gift with so little money, though she had saved for long? “This is the only way to get money,” Della touched her hair gently. There were two things that Jim and Della really loved. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair.
Without hesitation（犹豫）, Della went inside a shop and sold her hair. After buying Jim a gold watch chain（链条） as a present, she had only eighty-seven cents left.
Excited but a little worried, Della waited to surprise Jim. The door opened, and Jim stepped in. His expression（表情）was strange after seeing Della. “Don’t look at me that way. I cut my hair off because I couldn’t have lived through another Christmas without giving you a present. It will grow again. Jim, and let’s be happy!”
After a while, Jim took out a box. “Open it, and you’ll understand.” Della opened it and surprised to see a set of combs（梳子）. She had wished for them but thought she would never own such beautiful things. And now they were hers, but she had no hair to wear them in!
“Well, my hair grows fast.” Della took out carefully the gold chain and showed it to Jim. "Isn’t this present beautiful, Jim? Take out your watch and let’s see how smart it is!”
Instead of obeying（服从）, Jim put his hands under the back of his head and smiled.....
1.How much money did Della make by selling her hair?
A.Eighty-seven cents. B.One dollar. C.Twenty dollars.
2.How did Jim feel when he saw Della’s short hair?
A.Excited. B.Surprised. C.Scared.
3.Why didn’t Jim take out his watch?
A.Because he sold his watch.
B.Because it was too old to work.
C.Because he was angry with Della.
4.What can we infer（推断）from the passage?
A.The couple lived a happy and rich life.
B.Della didn’t like the present Jim bought.
C.The couple actually have their best presents.
5.What’s the theme of this story?
A.Present can give us happiness.
B.Love is priceless and selfless.
C.A stupid couple lived unhappily.
Boat Tours Along the Huangpu River
The Huangpu River is a must-see place in Shanghai for the tourists. We offer three different boat tours along the river every day.
The 1.5-hour tour to Yangpu Bridge at the price of 25-35 yuan;
The 2-hour tour to Gaoqiao at the price of 50-100 yuan;
The 3.5-hour tour to Wusongkou, the mouth of the Yangtze
River, at the price of 50-100 yuan.
The booking office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m..
Call 021-49543200/49543201 for more information.
1.The boat tour to _____ is the cheapest.
A.Yangpu Bridge B.Gaoqiao C.Wusongkou
2.How long does it take to travel to the mouth of the Yangtze River?
A.One and a half hours. B.Two hours. C.Three hours and a half.
3.Tourists can get more information about the tour _____.
A.at the booking office B.on its website C.by calling 021-49543200
